Reviews

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition

5.0

I read "A Suitable Boy" when it came out and loved it. I just re-read it, and actually loved it even more. The story is so engrossing, each character so completely developed, that is it hard to move on once you turn the last page. What else will give a reader such a sense of sitting in on a huge story with people you miss when the book is through? And then there are these questions: was Lata's choice the right one? What's going on between Maan and Firoz? Is the future going to be as tough on Saeeda Bai as it seems? What will happen to the Khans with the Zamindari act? Can Mrs. Rupa Mehra please have an admirer? She deserves something, and Jeez, she's only in her 40s.

Now I hear that Seth is working on a sequel (please pass on any additional info, fellow readers) Of course I'm filled with anticipation, but have a suggestion, Vik. Realize that you cannot wind up this story in a mingy 365 pages. You will need a large canvas to satisfy your readers and do your characters justice.

"A Suitable Boy" is recommended for anyone who relishes the transformative power of fiction and the joy of great storytelling.

Candace Siegle,
Greedy Reader

tara_pikachu's review against another edition

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3.0

I haven't read a lot of books on India but I think this book does justice as far as culture and idiosyncrasy is concerned.

skan's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This audio version of the book was just very confusing to listen to as it had no actual narration, just the conversations between characters. Also considering how long this book is, I'm assuming that this audio version must be abridged to be only 6 hours.

becca_clifford's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ljutavidra's review against another edition

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Moram biti iskrena prema sebi i priznati da nema teorije da čitam ovo dalje. Ovih 200 strana je bilo krajnje nezanimljivo, sporo, i iako se dosta stvari desilo, zapravo se ništa nije ni desilo. Kao indijske sapunice gde na kraju svake epizode imate klifhenger kako biste gledali i dalje. E pa tako se i ovde maltene svako poglavlje završavalo sa nekim pokušajem ubrzavanja radnje, ali stvarno nisam imala utisak da će se bilo šta epohalno desiti (a na kraju krajeva me ni ne zanima, ali mogu da naslutim).

Malo sam i razočarana jer ovo delo važi za savremeni klasik kad su indijski pisci u pitanju. Pored praktično nepostojeće radnje smetao mi je i neprirodan dijalog (koji je čudno i previše formalno zvučao čak i među tinejdžerkama), pa me je to dodatno izmeštalo iz radnje. Možda sam i ja previše očekivala, ali ne vidim zašto ova knjiga ima toliku (nezasluženu, ako smem dodati) ocenu.

P.S. Prodajem svoj primerak na engleskom, pa ako vas zanima ili znate nekoga koga bi zanimalo, javite se.

karinlib's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was very good. I keep comparing it to War and Peace (which is about 100 pages shorter than A Suitable Boy). War and Peace was a great story; A Suitable Boy was good, but had several spots that downright dragged.

A Suitable Boy took place during one year in the life of a fairly new, independent India. At the core it is the story of a widow and her family trying to find A Suitable Boy for the youngest daughter, but the outer layers of this story included so much more. Politics, religion, family duty, city life, rural life and caste all crowded into this tale.
Bottom line, I'm glad I read this book.